Ont. man's family seeks answers after fatal boating incident in Dominican Republic

The family of Ontario man James "Tikey" Dewitt is struggling to come to terms with his death after the boat he was on capsized in the Dominican Republic, leaving the family pleading for help from the Canadian government.

Dewitt, a 40-year-old well-known businessman in Waubaushene, Ont., was the co-owner of Dewennes Restaurant and Dewitt's Contracting, and a father of four.

Last week, he was on vacation in Punta Cana when he joined his cousin and some friends on a deep-sea fishing excursion with a chartered company.

The boat overturned, and everyone on board escaped - except Dewitt.

His sister, Pam Venne, said the family was notified by his cousin who was vacationing with him.

"He called his name for an hour or something like that and he couldn't get to us right away because the other 4 gentlemen that were with him, they were all in hospital being treated," Venne tells CTV News.

Local media have reported all boaters in the area were warned to stay off the waters due to dangerous conditions. However, the chartered boat company decided to go anyways without providing any warning to Dewitt and his travelling party.

"But I think they should be liable for this. They should have to pay," Venne says. "They were warned to not go out and they went out anyway."

Venne said she has reached out to Global Affairs Canada but has been frustrated by slow response times. While they communicated when the incident happened and talked about search efforts, she found out his body was discovered through local Punta Cana media.

"We found out his body was discovered after discovering a video on the news down there. And it was his body floating in the water," Venne said. "I didn't want my nieces, my older nieces, seeing that on social media. They are in enough pain. His wife is in enough pain. I'm in enough pain."

CTV News also reached out to Global Affairs Canada. 

"Global Affairs Canada is aware of the death of a Canadian in the Dominican Republic," said Grantly Franklin, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada. "Canadian officials are providing consular assistance to the family. Due to privacy considerations, no further information can be disclosed."

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According to Venne, the owner of the vessel is facing charges in connection to the incident and the case is expected to proceed Monday, she says.

Local media has identified the owner as Aristis Sosa Batista, a 35-year-old Dominican.

Meanwhile, Dewitt's body is still in the Dominican Republic, and the family hopes to bring him home in the next few days but said the process has been slow, taking six days just to complete the necessary paperwork.

"I feel like they could be a little bit quicker because if it was their spouse, or their father or their brother or their uncle, nephew, you would want him home. Like this is his home. He needs to come home."

Dewitt leaves behind four children, between the ages five and 17, and his common-law wife, Jessica.

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help with funeral expenses and support his family.

With files from CTV's Kim Phillips